Hey Will, thanks for sharing your writing! Although our beliefs differ in many ways (I consider myself an agnostic leaning more towards atheism than deism), I greatly appreciate Christians who actively work towards thoughtfully applying the teachings of the Jesus I was taught about growing up, as those teachings still impact my life. Keep up the great work you do here an online, and if you ever find yourself in the NYC area (I live in NJ about 35 minutes from Manhattan), drop me a message. I'd love to meet up, grab a beer, and catch up with you.
I interviewed Metaxas in 2007 for The Wittenburg Door. This was right before his Wilberforce book came out and he became a NYTimes bestselling author. Without a doubt it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I had in my 30+ years as a religious satirist/journalist. I've met my share of folks with outsized egos and developed a thick skin due to repeated online ad hominem attacks but this was something else - a theological tsunami that took me by surprise. (It was on par with my encounters with Mark Driscoll and select US emergent church leaders.) I couldn't put my finger on my discomfort at the time but thanks to the emerging research into spiritual narcissism, I realize now that I was encountering an extreme spiritual narcissist.
Hey Will, thanks for sharing your writing! Although our beliefs differ in many ways (I consider myself an agnostic leaning more towards atheism than deism), I greatly appreciate Christians who actively work towards thoughtfully applying the teachings of the Jesus I was taught about growing up, as those teachings still impact my life. Keep up the great work you do here an online, and if you ever find yourself in the NYC area (I live in NJ about 35 minutes from Manhattan), drop me a message. I'd love to meet up, grab a beer, and catch up with you.
Thanks for this. I hope he can come back to nuance, grace, and good will.
I interviewed Metaxas in 2007 for The Wittenburg Door. This was right before his Wilberforce book came out and he became a NYTimes bestselling author. Without a doubt it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I had in my 30+ years as a religious satirist/journalist. I've met my share of folks with outsized egos and developed a thick skin due to repeated online ad hominem attacks but this was something else - a theological tsunami that took me by surprise. (It was on par with my encounters with Mark Driscoll and select US emergent church leaders.) I couldn't put my finger on my discomfort at the time but thanks to the emerging research into spiritual narcissism, I realize now that I was encountering an extreme spiritual narcissist.